Engineering microbial consortia for controllable outputs.

Lindemann SR; Bernstein HC; Song HS; Fredrickson JK; Fields MW; Shou W; Johnson DR; Beliaev AS

doi:10.1038/ismej.2016.26

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Journal article

Engineering microbial consortia for controllable outputs.

Lindemann SR Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
Bernstein HC Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
Song HS Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
Fredrickson JK Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
Fields MW Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
Shou W Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
Johnson DR Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ), Zürich, Switzerland.
Beliaev AS Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.

2016-03-12

Published in:

The ISME journal. - 2016

English Much research has been invested into engineering microorganisms to perform desired biotransformations; nonetheless, these efforts frequently fall short of expected results due to the unforeseen effects of biofeedback regulation and functional incompatibility. In nature, metabolic function is compartmentalized into diverse organisms assembled into robust consortia, in which the division of labor is thought to lead to increased community efficiency and productivity. Here we consider whether and how consortia can be designed to perform bioprocesses of interest beyond the metabolic flexibility limitations of a single organism. Advances in post-genomic analysis of microbial consortia and application of high-resolution global measurements now offer the promise of systems-level understanding of how microbial consortia adapt to changes in environmental variables and inputs of carbon and energy. We argue that, when combined with appropriate modeling frameworks, systems-level knowledge can markedly improve our ability to predict the fate and functioning of consortia. Here we articulate our collective perspective on the current and future state of microbial community engineering and control while placing specific emphasis on ecological principles that promote control over community function and emergent properties.

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